The List Redux
by superheroine
Summary: Sakura has another secret admirer! Gaara's feeling challenged, Ino is clueless, and Sasuke's meddling. This can't end well. / Sequel to The List. Pairings include: GaaraSakura, SasukeSakura, and AkatsukiSakura
1. Chapter One: Another Admirer!

Detention with the Akatsuki _by LittleMissHippie_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Naruto. _

* * *

This was just _fabulous._

Here I was, stuck in detention because of stupid Sasuke, and the _Akatsuki _walk in. I mean, any other day I would admire the hotness that is the Akatsuki but today… Not going to happen.

First of all, I was so not in the mood. Second of all, I had boyfriend problems to worry about. Gaara and I had been happily dating since all the secret admirer business last semester—until now. We were still dating—_of course!_—just… not so happily.

I was beginning to learn about Gaara's… jealousy issues. Not to mention his possessiveness. Add them together and you get Lee's new broken arm, Kiba and almost every other guy in school not talking to me anymore because of death threats that were issued to them, and a _very _smug Sasuke.

So who could blame me for finally snapping when Sasuke had the **nerve **to say, "I told you so," in class today? I punched him in the face. He freakin' deserved it!

Apparently, Iruka-sensei had a problem with my response. He'd told me to report to detention after school—and apologize to Sasuke, but that was so _not _happening. I'd begged and pleaded with Iruka-sensei but in the end I still had to report to detention.

"It's not like I have a social life or anything, right, Iruka-sensei?" I complained to myself as I sat in detention. "I have _all_ the time in the **world** to hang out in detention."

"I'm sure a pretty girl like you does have a social life, yeah," someone said behind me.

"I'm sure she does," another voice agreed. "But it's good to know she has time to hang out with delinquents like us in detention."

"Sakura." I recognized the voice as Itachi's and I finally turned to face the Akatsuki. "What are you doing here?"

I was sure he already knew why—Itachi always knew everything, sort of like Ino—but I decided to tell him anyway. "I sort of punched Sasuke in the face."

"Way to go, yeah!" the blond one—Deidara, I remembered his name was—said.

"Yeah," Kisame agreed. "Itachi's brother can get pretty annoying. It's good to know girls like you are putting him in his place."

"Annoying?" asked Hidan. "More like he's a freaking asshole."

While they were having their side conversation, I was watching Itachi. _I really hope he's not angry about me punching Sasuke… Angry Itachi is a _Scary_ Itachi. _

Itachi nodded, accepting my reason. "What did he do?"

I felt myself turning a shade of red. "He… uh…"

"Does it really freaking matter? He's an asshole!" Hidan exclaimed before I had a chance to finish talking.

"That's true," the red-head near the door finally spoke up. I recognized him as a distant relative of Gaara's—Sasori. "But he must have done something pretty bad. Why else would Sakura have punched him?"

I laughed nervously. "Yeah, uh… about that… he—"

_"Quiet!"_

I happily directed my attention towards the owner of the voice that had interrupted me. _Oh, crap. It's Anko._

"You guys are all in detention for a reason, right?" she continued. "So go sit down and think about why you're here or something. I don't care. Just be quiet."

"And what happens if we aren't quiet?" Hidan asked. "Why should I even freaking listen to you anyway?"

Anko smiled and I cringed in fear. "Oh, I can think of a few reasons…" She twirled something in her hand, and it glinted in the light.

I looked at her with a mix of disbelief and fear. _Where did that knife even come from?_

"Any other questions?" Anko asked. "No? Good. Now be quiet. And if any of you even _think _about doing something other than sitting here… well, let's just say you've been warned."

I decided I didn't want to risk my life by disobeying Anko, so I put my head on my desk and closed my eyes. _I think I'll just take a little nap… _

* * *

When I woke up, everyone was gone.

"Where'd everyone go?" I mumbled while rubbing my eyes.

Suddenly, Ino leaned into the classroom as she looked around. "Forehead! There you are!" she exclaimed when she saw me. She walked over to me and then asked, "What are you even _doing _here, anyway? Detention's been over for like fifteen minutes."

"I fell asleep," I answered. "And apparently no one bothered to wake me up."

Ino-pig laughed at me. "Oh yeah!" she suddenly exclaimed. "While I remember… Anko wanted me to remind you that she'll be seeing you in detention _indefinitely_ until Iruka-sensei says otherwise." She laughed at me again. "Sucks to be you, huh?"

"**What?**" I shouted. "_Indefinitely? _That's not fair!"

"Forehead, you punched Sasu-cakes in the face. You should be happy you didn't get suspended," she reminded me. "But anyway, let's get out of here. Being in the school after two o'clock is weird, and it's already 3:30."

"Yeah, okay." I grabbed my bag and started heading towards the door. "Wait! I need to grab a book from my locker. It'll take five seconds."

"Fine, fine," Ino-pig said. "But hurry up, will you?"

"Whatever, Pig-chan," I responded and started heading to my locker. When I reached it, I spun the lock and opened my locker. I reached in to grab my book but instead my hand hit a box of… chocolates?

The box looked _extremely _familiar—and I was trying to remember where I'd seen them before. I took the box out of my locker and looked at the front closely. When I finally remembered, I smiled. _This is just like the box of chocolates I tripped over last semester! They were the first gift from my secret admirer! Aw, Gaara is so sweet! _

"C'mon, Forehead, what's taking so—_oh my God, _where did those chocolates come from?" Ino-pig rushed forward and grabbed the box from my hands. A piece of paper fell to the floor and I reached down to pick it up but Ino-pig beat me to it.

"Are these from Gaara? Ooh, did he leave a _note? _You have **such **asweet boyfriend, Forehead. I am so jealous!"

"Yeah, I know," I replied with a smile. Alright, so maybe I could look past Gaara's jealousy issues. I just had to remember his sweet side—

"_Oh my god!_" Ino-pig exclaimed. "I can't believe this!"

I looked at her in confusion. "What's wrong? What did the note say?" A terrible thought occurred to me. "It's not a break-up note, is it?" When Ino-pig didn't respond, I continued. "Oh, he is _so _dead! No one breaks up with me via a stupid **note**—"

"Forehead, you have _another_ secret admirer!"

I paused my rant. "What?"

"This isn't fair!" Ino-pig complained. "Why do _you _get to have all the secret admirers? First Gaara, and now… this guy! You freakin' suck, Forehead!"

"Shut up, Pig! Let me read the note." I grabbed the note from her hands and read its contents. When I got towards the end, I stared. "'Sincerely, Your Secret Admirer. P.S. If you're wondering who could be your secret admirer, I'll tell you this: I'm not afraid of your boyfriend, and neither is the rest of the Akatsuki.'"

"I am _so _jealous right now, Forehead," Ino-pig said. "Like you have no idea."

"…neither is the rest of the Akatsuki? Does that mean—" I started to ask before Ino-pig cut me off.

"_Yes,_ Forehead, your new secret admirer is in the freakin' **Akatsuki**." Ino sighed dramatically. "I hate you, I really do."

I was still trying to figure out how I could have _another _secret admirer when Ino-pig opened her mouth again. "Well, you know what this means, don't you?"

I looked at her strangely. "Uh, no?"

"Time to make another List!"

* * *

**Here it is! The first chapter of the sequel to ****The List. ****Expect fairly frequent updates. I'm out of school now, so I don't have to focus on academics at the moment. Which means more time for writing! So anyway, please review! Tell me who you're hoping is her secret admirer, I'd love to here what you guys want. **

**Until next time,**

**LittleMissHippie**


	2. Chapter Two: The New and Improved List!

Detention with the Akatsuki _by LittleMissHippie_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Naruto._

_

* * *

_

Another

List? Obviously Ino-pig was crazier than I'd previously suspected.

"There is **no way **I'm letting you make another List, Pig-chan," I told her. "The last one didn't even help!"

Ino-pig had the nerve to look at me like _I _was the crazy one. "It so did help!" she protested. "It helped us organize our thoughts and keep track of who could possibly be—"

"—but in the end you knew all along, right?" I interrupted. "So we should just ask somebody who would know."

Now she looked offended. "If _I _don't know, how could anyone else know? Forehead, I am the **queen **of gossip—"

"I'll ask Itachi," I continued, as if she hadn't spoken. "Let's face it, Pig: Itachi _actually _knows everything."

Ino was silent for a long time before finally saying, "Fine. Ask Itachi. But we're still going to make a new List."

"But Pig-chan—" I started.

"Itachi's not going to tell you," she said. "At least not right away. He'll probably give you some hints or something. And then we can use whatever he tells you with our List and maybe—"

"We can figure out who my secret admirer is faster than we did last time," I finished. _She's right, _I thought. _Itachi's mysterious. He didn't tell me straight out last time and I doubt he will this time. _I nodded in agreement. "Fine, we'll make a new List. But you're not going to make it by yourself this time. I get to help."

Ino-pig smiled—she looked a little crazy, but then again, she _was _Ino—and said, "I knew you'd see it my way! Now let's see, we can meet in the library tomorrow morning and—"

"Tomorrow?" I asked. "Why aren't we going to start _now? _The sooner the better—"

"Forehead, I already told you. It's _weird _being at school after two o'clock. And anyway, if we make The List tomorrow we can brainstorm by ourselves tonight. Alright?"

I nodded. Ino-pig smiled. "Great! Now, seriously, let's get out of here." I laughed while following her out of the building. My thoughts were already trying to figure out who my secret admirer could be _this _time.

_And what am I going to do if I find out who they are?_

* * *

In the morning, I was ready to go.

My thoughts were—relatively—organized. I was ready for whatever crazy nonsense Ino-pig was undoubtedly going to throw at me. I practically marched over to the table Ino-pig was occupying in the library.

"Number one," I began before Ino even had a chance to get out some paper, "is definitely Deidara."

"Jeez, Forehead. Can't you wait five seconds while I find some paper?" She pulled an unused notebook out of her bag and opened it up to a new page. "Okay, now… _Deidara? _Do you have a reason?" She paused before grinning. "Or do you just think he's cute?"

"First of all, shut up. **Second **of all, _he _thinks _I'm _cute," I said rather smugly.

"And you know this because…?" Ino-pig asked, nonbeliever that she is.

"He told me so."

"_Oh my god!" _she exclaimed. "Deidara thinks you're **cute? **You lucky little—"

"_Shhh!_" a nearby librarian said.

After Ino-pig stuck her tongue out at the librarian when she looked away, Ino continued. "Anyway, I think Itachi should be on The List as well. I mean, I always thought he liked you anyway…"

I remembered last semester, when I could've _sworn _Itachi was my secret admirer. I nodded in agreement as Ino-pig wrote Itachi's name on The List.

"Go ahead and put Hidan on The List too," I told her. "He seemed to like me well enough after everyone found out I punched Sasuke in the face."

"I still can't _believe _you did that, Forehead…" Ino-pig mumbled as she wrote down Hidan's name.

"I still can't believe he was stupid enough to say, 'I told you so.' He deserved it," I responded. Because really, anyone that's _that _stupid deserves to have someone knock some sense into them.

"Kisame was nice to me in detention yesterday, so go ahead and add him too," I added, changing the subject back to our List.

"Fine," Ino-pig said. "I'm adding Sasori, too."

"_What?_" I exclaimed. The librarian gave our table a dirty look, but I ignored her. "Ino-pig! Why would he be my secret admirer? He's like Gaara's _cousin! _Cousins don't like their cousin's girlfriends. It's like a rule."

"C'mon, Forehead," Ino-pig replied. "He's hot! Why shouldn't he be on The List?"

"Because he's definitely not my secret admirer!"

"If Gaara could like you, why couldn't his cousin?" Ino-pig argued. "Let's just put him on The List!"

I stared at her. "Ino," I said slowly. "Do you know something I don't?"

Once again, she managed to look offended at me suggesting she actually knew something—Queen of Gossip that she is. "Forehead, how could you even think—?"

"Ino," I repeated.

"I'm not keeping anything from you," she answered. "I promise."

"Fine, I trust you," I said. "But if you're lying, I **will **hurt you."

"Jeez, Forehead, when did you get so _violent_?"

"Oh, shut up, Pig."

* * *

We continued to work on our List until the warning bell rang to get to class.

We ended up adding Zetsu—"It's always the quiet ones!" Ino had insisted—and Tobi. Ino didn't think that Tobi belonged on The List because he was so childish, but I reminded her that the whole secret admirer thing was childish as well. Ino conceded defeat.

Kakuzu ended up being left off The List—I couldn't even remember him being in detention yesterday, nor did I even remember meeting him—and Ino had informed me that Pein had a girlfriend of his own.

I ended up in Kakashi-sensei's class, waiting for him to show up, with a brand new List in front of me.

_That's not that many names, _I realized. And then: _This could be fun._

**

* * *

**

THE LIST

_AKATSUKI STYLE_

1. Deidara (the blond one)

2. Itachi (the brother of your ex)

3. Hidan (the one with that weird religion)

4. Kisame (the blue one)

5. Sasori (the one who's related to your boyfriend)

6. Zetsu (the quiet one)

7. Tobi (the one with the mask)

* * *

"…Sakura?"

_Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. I'm so _stupid_!_

I turned to look at Gaara, who'd just sat in the seat next to me. "Hey Gaara! What's up? Have you been having a nice morning—?"

"Is that what I think it is?" he asked instead of answering. He was staring right at The List. "Sakura, please tell me that's not what I think it is."

"Uh," I answered intelligently.

"Sakura, do you have another secret admirer?" When he saw the look on my face, he continued. "You've got to be kidding me. Who is it? What did they give you? Sakura?"

I took a deep breath before I tackled his questions. "Yes, I have another secret admirer. I don't know who they are, it's a _secret_. And they gave me some chocolates—"

"Do you like them?" he interrupted.

I thought about his question. "Yeah," I answered. "They were my favorites."

"No," he said. "I mean do you like your secret admirer?"

I started laughing.

Obviously, this was not the correct response. Gaara looked like he was starting to get angry. "Gaara," I said, "I don't even know who my secret admirer _is_."

This was not the correct answer either, I realized a little too late.

"It shouldn't matter," Gaara said. "You shouldn't even care. Sakura, you have _me_. Why do you even want to know who your secret admirer is?"

My answer was basically a no-brainer. "Gaara, I owe it to this person to at least find out who they are." I paused, before continuing. "Didn't I do the same for you?"

_That's what he's afraid of, _I realized as soon as the sentence left my mouth. _Last semester, Gaara was the secret admirer and I ended up dating him. So he thinks that now… I'll end up with my _new _secret admirer. But that wouldn't happen._

_Would it?_

**

* * *

**

Thanks for all of the reviews you guys! I tried to respond to all of them. I really want to know who you guys want the secret admirer to be because honestly, it's not like I've decided exactly who it's going to be. I'm open to all suggestions! So review, and tell me what you're thinking so far and who you want the admirer to be!

**Until next time,**

**LittleMissHippie**


	3. Chapter Three: An Interesting Lunch

**Detention with the Akatsuki** _by LittleMissHippie_

Disclaimer: I don't own _Naruto. _

* * *

Gaara obviously saw my internal conflict.

"Yes," he answered. "You _did _do the same for me. But do you really think you owe _anything _to anyone in the Akatsuki?" He turned around as Kakashi-sensei finally arrived. "Just think about that, Sakura."

I directed my stare to the front of the class.

But I couldn't help but wonder if Gaara was right.

* * *

As soon as the bell rang, I tried to corner Gaara and continue our conversation…

...but let's just say Gaara's ninja skills _totally _beat mine.

"Gaara, wait up!" I called. I was trying to quickly shove my notebook into my bag—and it just wasn't going in, dangit!—and Gaara was already leaving

"I have to go do something," he said vaguely. He didn't even look back at me as he headed towards the door.

"Gaara, _come on_!" I pleaded. I grabbed my bag—and my notebook, because I _still _couldn't put it in my bag—and followed him. "Can't we finish our conversation? Because I _really _don't see why—"

"Sakura," he interrupted. I closed my mouth. "I'll drive you home after your detention is over."

"How do you know about my detention—" I started, then stopped. "Nevermind, I don't want to know."

"We can continue our conversation then, alright?" Gaara asked, as if I hadn't spoken.

"But why can't we keep talking _now_?" I asked.

"I have to go do something," he repeated. I looked at him in confusion, so he clarified—kind of. "I have to go… talk to some people."

"But Gaara, our **relationship **is at stake!" I cried. _Oh my god, I'm starting to sound like Ino-pig._

"After school, Sakura," he said. And then he left.

* * *

By lunch time, I was freaking out.

The first thing I did was fill in Ino-pig on the way to lunch. Even though she was the school's resident Gossip Queen, she was still my best friend—so of course I had to tell her that Gaara knew about The List. And that he hadn't exactly reacted well when he found out.

When we finally arrived at our lunch table and met up with Sasuke, Ino-pig dived right into comforting me.

"Relax, Forehead," Ino-pig said. "Gaara is _not _going to break up with you. That kid **adores **you! Right, Sasu-cakes?"

"Shut up, Yamanaka," Sasuke replied.

"See, Sasu-cakes agrees!" Ino cheerfully continued.

So far, Sasuke and Ino-pig—with whom I sat with everyday at lunch—were actually managing to calm me down. The sense of normalcy provided by their interactions was comforting, to say the least.

"I'm not worried about him breaking up with me," I said. "I'm just worried about…" My voice trailed off. "I don't know. His jealousy getting even worse, I guess."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at me. "Why would he be more jealous than usual?" he asked suspiciously.

There was _no way _I was telling **Sasuke **about my new secret admirer. He would try to make it as hard as possible for me to find out who my admirer was… just like last time. And really, why would I tell him anyway? It's not like he would _help. _

Apparently, Ino-pig had my thoughts exactly. "Oh, you know. He's Gaara. It's not like he needs a reason."

Sasuke nodded in agreement. "Good to see you having some sane thoughts, Yamanaka."

"Thanks, Sasu—hey!" she shrieked.

Sasuke smirked.

"You are such a—" Ino-pig started before stopping mid-sentence. "**Oh. My. God.**"

"What is it?" I asked worriedly. "Is it Lee again? Please tell me it's not Lee again."

Sasuke let out a sound that could've been considered a growl. "No," he answered. "It's worse."

"Hello, Sakura," Itachi said behind me. "Foolish Little Brother. Ino Yamanaka."

I turned around, expecting to see Itachi—instead, however, I was faced with a _few _more people.

"Itachi," Sasuke replied angrily. "What the hell? What are you and your '_friends_' doing here?"

Ino-pig was apparently stunned into silence.

"Uh, Itachi," I finally said. "Why _are _you here? Not that I mind, or anything." I looked over the members standing with Itachi. _Deidara, Hidan, Kisame, Tobi, and Sasori are all with him. So I guess Ino-pig and I can eliminate Zetsu from The List? _

"We're just saying hey, yeah," Deidara answered.

"Looking forward to our time together in detention," Kisame said while grinning. I noted that his teeth looked _very much _like shark teeth.

"It's going to be freaking awesome!" Hidan practically shouted.

"But Tobi's a good boy, so Tobi won't be in detention today," the one with the mask said sadly.

"Maybe tomorrow?" I said, slightly scared of this upperclassman that talked like a child and sounded like he was going to cry. On the other hand, I _really _wanted to comfort him. Call it motherly instincts. "I'm going to be in detention for a while so—"

"Itachi," Sasuke spoke up. "You and your friends should just get lost. Quit bugging Sakura."

"We're not bothering Sakura," the redhead replied. He was staring at me, and I was sort of getting nervous. "Are we, Sakura?"

I shook my head, currently unable to form words.

He smirked at me.

Sasuke—obviously not liking our exchange—got even angrier. "Leave._ Now." _

"What are you going to do if we don't leave?" Hidan asked before laughing. "Do you think you can actually _hurt _us?"

"As if, yeah," Deidara added. "You Uchihas always think you're so—"

"Deidara," Itachi said and he shut up. "It's time for us to go."

Deidara glared at Itachi, but he stayed silent. And when Itachi turned around and walked away, they all followed him.

"Oh my god," Ino-pig repeated when they were all gone. "The _Akatsuki _just came over to say _hey _to you, Forehead. In the middle of lunch."

"Is everyone staring at us?" I asked fearfully.

"Of **course** they are!" Ino-pig exclaimed. She took a moment to scan the faces in the cafeteria. "A lot of people look confused. There're a couple of shocked faces. And there's more than few jealous people in this cafeteria, I can tell you that."

"I don't understand. Why did they come over here?" Sasuke asked, his tone once again suspicious. "What are you two not telling me?"

"Well—" I started.

"—we'll tell you later, Sasu-cakes. Right now we've gotta _go,_" Ino-pig said.

"Pig, where are we going—" I tried to ask, only to be interrupted **again. **

"Forehead, there's one _angry _boyfriend heading this way." She paused, and then added, "Angry _and _scary."

"Sabaku?" Sasuke—ever the genius—asked. "I think I'll go with you guys."

"Fine, whatever," Ino answered. She grabbed my arm and started to pull me out of the cafeteria.

"Ino-pig! I _want _to talk to Gaara!" I protested, but she continued to pull me anyway. I tried yanking my arm out of her grip, but I only slowed us down.

"Trust me, Forehead. Right now you _don't_ want to talk to him," she replied. Ino-pig glanced behind us, and then stopped trying to pull me.

"Oh, _great_," Sasuke muttered sarcastically. "Look who's here."

Gaara ignored Sasuke—he only had eyes for me. On any other day, I would've considered that sweet. Today, however, I was wondering what I could do to divert his attention—I didn't exactly want all of Angry Gaara's attention.

"Sakura, why did I see you talking to the _Akatsuki_?" he asked carefully. I could see him trying to control his temper. "Does this have to do with—?"

"Relax, Gaara!" Ino-pig interrupted before he had the chance to mention our new List. "_They_ were the ones that came over and talked to _us._"

Gaara swore. "I **told **them to stay away from you—"

"But they're not afraid of you, Gaara," I told him. "It said so on the no—I mean…"

_Oh god, I'm such an idiot. _

"The chocolates came with a _note?_" Gaara asked. "What did it say? Sakura?"

"Uh…"

"You got _chocolates?_" Sasuke asked. He sounded shocked. "Does this mean you have another secret admirer?"

"I…"

"You haven't told him?" Gaara asked, no longer sounding _as_ angry—more like smug.

Before I had a chance to answer either of them, I found myself—once again—being pulled out of the cafeteria. This time, Sasuke was the one pulling me.

"I want you to tell me everything," he said simply. Sasuke must've been _seriously _good at dragging people because before I knew it, we were out of the cafeteria.

And in an empty classroom.

* * *

**Sorry it took me so long to update! I meant to get this chapter out yesterday, so I could maybe be on a weekly updating schedule but… no luck. But who cares? It's out today, so no worries, eh? Review, please! Tell me what you think!**

**Until next time,**

**LittleMissHippie**


	4. Chapter Four: A Texting Frenzy!

**Detention with the Akatsuki **_by LittleMissHippie_

Disclaimer: I don't own _Naruto. _

* * *

I looked between the door and Sasuke, before my gaze finally settled on Sasuke. I was not liking this situation at _all_. I was stuck in a probably locked room with my _ex-_boyfriend, who was staring me down.

"Sakura…" said Sasuke slowly. "I would like some explanations **now**."

I almost laughed. Sasuke sounded like he was trying not to go Almighty Uchiha on me, which was kind of flattering. However, instead of laughing at him, I sighed. "What exactly do you want to know?"

"Do you have a new secret admirer? _Did _they send you chocolates with a note? What did the note say? When did all this happen? What do my brother and his _friends _have to do with all this? And why—" His questions were coming **way **too fast, so I cut him off.

"_Sasuke! _One question at a time, okay?" I said, and it came out more like a commandment than a question.

"Is the secret admirer thing true?" he asked without hesitation.

I paused before answering, knowing that from this point there would be no going back. "Yeah," I answered. "It's true."

"And they gave you chocolates? And a _note?" _He sounded shocked, as if the idea of a note was completely foreign to him.

I nodded.

"What did it say, Sakura?"

I thought for a moment before answering. "The note itself didn't have anything that interesting in it. Except, at the end…" I let myself trail off, wondering if I should even tell Sasuke.

Sasuke stared at me. "At the end?"

"It really wasn't that big a deal." I tried to laugh a little. "Just something about… how my admirer isn't afraid of my boyfriend? And uh, neither are the _rest _of the Akatsuki..."

Sasuke's eyes instantly narrowed. "Your secret admirer is in the Akatsuki?"

I looked away from him, but nodded all the same.

"So that's why…" said Sasuke with understanding. Then he swore. I returned my gaze to him, and his eyes met mine. "You and Yamanaka made another List, didn't you?"

The way he said it made me angry. "_So?_ What if we did?"

"So you're going to 'investigate' again? And what happens when you **find **your secret admirer, Sakura?" I didn't answer him, so he continued. "Are you going to give them a chance, too?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Maybe. I. Will."

Sasuke looked like he was about to retort, but he paused and thought better of it. _Way to use that brain of yours, Sasuke. _

"Sakura, whoever your secret admirer is," began Sasuke softly, "they don't deserve you. And I'm not going to—"

I sighed in irritation. "Sasuke, have we _not _been over this? I am not yours anymore, okay? So I get to make my own decisions—"

"—I'm not going to just give you up, Sakura. I did last time, and I regret that. But this time… I'm not going to."

… _What did he just say? _

And before I had the chance to reply or move away or **anything**, Sasuke leaned in…

… and he kissed me.

* * *

After The Kiss, we walked back to the Ino and Gaara in silence.

I mean, what was I supposed to say to him? He had just _kissed _me and he **knew **I was still in a relationship with Gaara, even if we did have our problems. But he'd done it anyway, and now I would probably be thinking about it for the rest of the day. Sasuke had just _seriously_ complicated things, which was probably his goal in the first place.

"Hey, you two," Ino-pig greeted us as we met up with her outside of the cafeteria. She was standing next to a relatively calm Gaara. "What's up?"

There was an awkward pause, as I wondered what to say. _Nothing much, Sasuke was just trying to swap spit with me? _Gaara would **kill **him.

"Sakura filled me in," answered Sasuke.

"Oh _really_?" asked Ino-pig, disbelief evident in her voice. She narrowed her eyes at me in suspicion. "Forehead, why are you blushing?"

"Uh… no reason?" I answered convincingly—_not._

Ino-pig gave me a look that said, "We'll talk about this later," and let the subject drop. She looked at Sasuke before saying, "C'mon, Sasu-cakes. Let's go to class. Lunch is almost over anyway." She started walking, and Sasuke followed her.

Now it was just me and Gaara. I looked at him and attempted a smile. "Walk me to class?"

He smirked back at me—his version of a smile, I had come to learn. "What next, are you going to ask me to carry your books?"

I laughed. _Maybe… things can go back to normal with us. The Kiss doesn't have to change anything, right? _"I'll carry my own books, thanks. But you do have to hold my hand…" I found myself smiling at him again, my hand held out to him.

"I suppose that's a small price to pay," he responded as his hand met mine. And together, we walked hand-in-hand to our next class.

* * *

"_Sakura?"_

_I knew that voice—and he was not the person I wanted to see. Not today, of all days. Nonetheless, I turned around to face him._

"_Itachi-san."_

_He frowned at me. "Don't be so formal, Sakura. You're like family to me."_

_I forced myself not to look away. "Not anymore, Itachi. Haven't you heard? I broke up with Sasuke."_

_Itachi took a step closer to me, and I found myself taking a step back automatically. He noticed this, and frowned again. "What did my Foolish Little Brother do?"_

_I sighed. "It's not that simple, Itachi."_

_Itachi took a step closer again. His gaze never left mine. "Why not?"_

_I shook my head. "Sasuke and I… we didn't work, Itachi-san." _

_Itachi took one final step forward before enveloping me in a hug._

"_Maybe one day you will." _

"Sakura."

I jolted awake. "What is it? Where am I?"

"Class is over. I'll walk you to detention," Gaara said calmly.

I rubbed my eyes and stood up. Gaara already had all my stuff. "Did I seriously fall asleep? _Please_ tell me I didn't," I said as we walked the short distance to the Anko-sensei's room.

"There was only fifteen minutes left of class anyway," he said reassuringly. "I don't think the teacher even noticed."

"Thank God," I muttered. "The _last _thing I need is more detention."

As soon as we reached Anko-sensei's classroom, I turned and gave Gaara a kiss on the cheek. "Are you still giving me a ride home?"

Gaara nodded. "I'll see you as soon as your detention's over."

"Okay," I said. And then I walked into the room.

* * *

"Same rules as yesterday," said Anko-sensei at the front of the room. "No talking. Just sit there and be quiet." She then walked to her desk in the corner and started doing whatever it was teachers did during detention.

I slid in my seat, pondering what I could do. _I could text someone… _I grabbed my bag and discreetly pulled out my cell. I quickly silenced it, and then wondered who I could text first. My thoughts were interrupted when my phone lit up with a new text.

I squinted at the screen. I didn't recognize the number, but I opened the message anyway.

**UNKNOWN:** _I hear you've been sleeping in class, Sakura._

What the heck? How could anyone even _know _about me taking a nap in class that fast? Unless they were someone like Ino-pig or— I blinked as the realization hit me.

**SAKURA: **_Itachi?_

**ITACHI: **_Correct. _

I smirked, feeling successful. And then I received another text message.

**ITACHI: **_Were you dreaming about Sasuke? You two were good together. _

How was I even supposed to **respond **to that? That's like the most awkward thing anyone could say… And of course he says it. _I'd better just change the subject. And I need to ask him about the secret admirer stuff anyway… Kill two birds with one stone? _

**SAKURA: **_Uh, not quite… Itachi, I need to talk to you about something. Are you free after-school?_

**ITACHI: **_Are you asking me out, Sakura?_

**SAKURA: **_No, __I just need to ask you something. _

**ITACHI: **_In that case, I'll see you at my house at five. I trust you still know the address?_

**SAKURA: **_Yes. Thank you, Itachi._

**ITACHI: **_You're welcome, Sakura. _

Before I knew it, I had gotten yet **another **text message from an unknown number. _Five dollars says it's another Akatsuki member…_

**UNKNOWN: **_Why are you texting Itachi?_

**SAKURA: **_Who is this?_

**DEIDARA: **_Deidara. Answer the question?_

**SAKURA: **_No reason._

I didn't even have time to wonder how Deidara had gotten his hands on my number before I'd received _two _more messages from two different unknown numbers.

**UNKNOWN1: **_You and Uchiha?_

**SAKURA: **_We were just texting! Who is this, anyway?_

**SASORI: **_Gaara's cousin. Sasori. _

**SAKURA: **_How did you get my number, Sasori?_

**SASORI: **_The Uchiha. _

So Itachi was giving my number out? We were going to have a nice **discussion **about that… My phone lit up with yet _another _new message, and I stopped myself from glaring at Itachi. Another Unknown number? It was probably another Akatsuki member that had gotten my number from Itachi.

**UNKNOWN2: **_What the hell were you texting Itachi about?_

Obviously Hidan. The angry cursing thing just screams it.

**SAKURA: **_Nothing, jeez! Is this Hidan?_

**HIDAN: **_Who else would it freaking be? _

As soon as my text message was sent, Anko stood up and addressed us. "Good job, delinquents. You all shut up. Now go home."

By the time her statement was finished, Gaara was already at the door waiting for me. "Let's go, Sakura."

"Okay, just let me grab my bag," I responded. I grabbed my bag and basically powerwalked to the door.

As I passed each member of the Akatsuki, they said goodbye in their own unique way. Kisame waved, Sasori nodded, Hidan growled, and Deidara winked. Itachi smirked and said, "See you later, Sakura."

Gaara, on the other hand, simply ignored them all and started to pull me away. As I was dragged away by my boyfriend away from a group a guys that I had just spent the last hour texting, my mind drifted to The Kiss. And then I couldn't help but wonder…

_When did my life get so complicated?_

**

* * *

**

Apologies can only fix so much, but for what it's worth… I am super sorry! This summer has been really busy! But this chapter's out, and I have a plan for the next chapter. And of course, if I get some reviews, I'll be super motivated! So please review and tell me what you think? You can even ask questions, and I'll try to answer!

'**till next time!,**

**LittleMissHippie **


	5. Chapter Five: An Impossible Condition!

**Detention with the Akatsuki **_by LittleMissHippie_

Disclaimer: I don't own _Naruto. _

* * *

Gaara and I walked to his car in silence.

In a way, the silence was nice. It gave me an opportunity to think about _everything _that had happened. But now wasn't the time—if I wanted to save my relationship with Gaara, we needed to talk. _Now. _

I waited until Gaara started driving before I continued our conversation from earlier.

"Look, Gaara…" I began. "I'm sorry about this morning." It was hard apologizing, but it needed to be done.

"It's okay, Sakura—" he said before I interrupted him.

"No, you were right." I took a breath—this was _way _harder than expected. "I don't owe anything to anyone in the Akatsuki." Gaara looked like he was about to say something else, so I continued, "Let me finish, okay?"

He nodded.

"I'm still going to keep investigating." I watched Gaara's face for any changes—he looked a little jealous, but other than that, he was fine. He wasn't about to lose his temper, thank God. "But you don't have to worry. I'm **your **girlfriend—no secret admirer is going to change that." And then I smiled at him.

Gaara smiled too. "I trust you, Sakura."

I looked away. Yes, that was the answer I wanted to hear—Gaara trusted me!—but at the same time…

_Gaara really cares about me… and here I am, wasting_ _time on a secret admirer! I should be spending more time with my boyfriend! And then… there's Sasuke. What am I going to do about _him_?_

Gaara's answer should've made me feel ecstatic—but here I was, worried and unhappy.

_I just wish everything was simple again._

* * *

I waved at Gaara's car as he drove away. _Most awkward car ride ever? I think yes._

I headed inside, practically power-walking to my room. I needed to call Ino **now. **The girl was my best friend, and I needed to fill her in. Plus, if anyone could help me with the mess that was now my life, Ino could.

"Sakura!"

I basically skidded to a stop in front of the staircase. I turned around to face my mom before addressing her. "Yes?"

She held a piece of paper in her hand. "Sasuke called!" she announced cheerfully. She glanced down at the paper before continuing. "He wants to talk to you about something… Something that happened at lunch? He'd like you to call him back as soon as possible." She paused. "Are you dating Sasuke again?" she asked with a wink.

I shuddered. "No, Mom. I'm still with Gaara." _Sasuke would definitely like to change that though. _

My mom sighed. "That's a shame. You know, Sasuke really cares about you—"

"Mom. Not now, **please.**"

I think my mom realized I was _not _to be messed with right now, because she let it go. Sort of. "Fine, fine. Just call him back, okay?"

I shrugged. "Sure." _No freaking way. _And then I continued on my way to my room.

* * *

I called Ino as soon as my door was safely shut and locked. _Ino will know what to do! Or at least, she'll be able to help me figure something out. I hope._

"Shikamaru?" the person asked when they answered the phone.

I paused before answering. Had I called the right person? "Uh, this is Sakura—"

"…oh," Ino-pig said, disappointed. "What's up, Forehead?"

I decided to wonder about why Ino-pig would be expecting a call from Shikamaru later. "Do **not **freak out, Ino-pig. That is the last thing I need right now," I said into the phone.

"Stop being dramatic, Forehead." Ino was calling _me _dramatic? Oh, the irony. "I'm sure it's not even that big a deal—"

"Sasuke kissed me."

It was dead silent for a full sixty seconds. And then Ino-pig screeched in my ear. "Sasuke did **what**?"

I began the long task of filling her in about everything that had happened. "He wanted me to fill him in about the secret admirer stuff and then… He was pulling the same act as last time, you know?"

"No, I don't know!" Ino-pig exclaimed, obviously frustrated. "Apparently I don't know anything anymore!"

"He was talking about how my secret admirer didn't _deserve _me. Like he gets to make that decision! Who does he think he is anyway—?"

"**Forehead! **Focus!" commanded Ino. "What happened after that? Other than The Kiss, I mean."

I paused. "He said he wasn't going to give me up," I said quietly, remembering his words. "Not this time."

"Oh _god, _Forehead," Ino-pig began in her dramatic way. "**Please** tell me you're not going to fall for that."

I was silent as I contemplated what Ino-pig had said. _Am I falling for that? _

_Am I falling for… Sasuke?_

No, I decided. I wanted things to be good with Gaara again, and I wanted to know who my secret admirer was—but I wasn't going to let Sasuke mess with me again. I thought back to all the days in freshman year, when I'd felt sad and just generally unliked by Sasuke—who was supposed to be my freaking _boyfriend. _Sasuke didn't deserve a second chance, even if he was pulling all that sweet and semi-romantic crap on me—it was just that. Crap.

Ino misinterpreted my silence. "Sakura," she said seriously. "I love you, and I love Sasuke, but I do not love youandSasuke."

"Don't worry, Pig," I responded, a smirk on my face. "I'm not going to fall for Sasuke's crap again."

Ino-pig sighed in relief. She then proceeded to ask, "What are you going to tell Gaara?"

My smirk disappeared. "I'm not telling Gaara _anything,_" I said leaving no room for argument. "And neither are you, Pig."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Ino-pig said. "I'm disappointed, Forehead. But I'll respect your wishes."

"Whatever, Pig-chan." I remembered the other reason I called her. "Oh yeah, Ino-pig! There was something else important…"

"Trying to leave out valuable gossip, Forehead? I'm ashamed," she said, but she sounded neither ashamed nor shocked; just dramatic as usual.

I ignored her. "Itachi gave everyone in the Akatsuki my number," I told her.

She sounded skeptical. "How do you know?"

"They were texting me all through detention," I replied, trying to keep the smugness out of my voice. "But that's not even the biggest part."

"You were texting with the _Akatsuki _and that's not the **biggest part?**" Jeez, I was going to give Ino-pig a heart attack with all this new information.

"Remember how I wanted to discuss the secret admirer thing with Itachi?" I asked. "Well, he invited me over to his house so we can talk and—"

"Perfect!" exclaimed Ino-pig gleefully. "Make sure he gives you lots of hints, alright, Forehead?"

"—that answers that question. Okay, I'll go and I'll tell you all about it tomorrow," I finished. I looked at the clock in my room. "Ino-pig, it's almost 4:30—and I'm supposed to meet Itachi at five…"

"I understand," Ino-pig said. "But Forehead?"

I wondered what Ino could possibly have to add now. "Yeah?"

"Stay away from Sasu-cakes."

* * *

I knocked on the door to the Uchiha Manor.

_Please don't be Sasuke, please don't be Sasuke, please don't be—_

"Sakura?"

I cursed.

He looked slightly confused, but pleased. "You could've just called me back," said Sasuke. "But this works." I really wanted to get that smirk off his face.

"I'm not here for—"

"We need to talk," he interrupted. He stepped outside and closed the door behind him. "My brother's home, and I don't want him eavesdropping," he explained.

I sighed. _Looks like we're talking now. _"Look, Sasuke—"

"I'm not going to apologize," he continued as if I hadn't spoken. "Because I meant it. And I stand by what I said—and did—today."

This was ridiculous. I wasn't going to stand by and let him practically talk over me. "Sasuke, _I'm with Gaara. _You need to understand that," I said slowly, as if talking to a small child.

"No, Sakura," he replied. "_You _need to understand this: I care about you. A lot. And…" His gaze flickered away from mine. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry about the way we ended, and how I acted, and everything. If I could change it…" Now, he was staring back at me again. "I would. For you."

I was speechless. Thoughts were flying through my head as I tried to process everything at once.

_This is Sasuke Uchiha, who broke my heart._

_This is Sasuke Uchiha, who is _apologizing_ to me. _

_This is Sasuke Uchiha, who wants me back._

_This is Sasuke Uchiha, who would change everything for me._

_This is Sasuke Uchiha, who is not my boyfriend._

_This is Sasuke Uchiha, and…_

I couldn't deal with this right now. I couldn't deal with **Sasuke **right now.

"Sasuke, I was trying to tell you—I'm here to see Itachi."

Sasuke looked confused, and he froze at the mention of his brother's name. Deciding to use this opportunity, I darted around him, opened the front door, and—

I walked right into Itachi.

* * *

Itachi thinks fast, that's for sure.

Without hesitation, he locked the front door—trapping Sasuke outside, which I was more than happy with—and then basically dragged me upstairs.

Straight to his room.

"Sit down, Sakura," he said. It sounded like a command more than a suggestion. I sat down at the edge of his bed. Itachi stood in front of me. "Now," he began, "let me guess. You have another secret admirer."

My jaw dropped.

"And," he continued, "you want my help?"

"You're a mind-reader," I said in disbelief. "I have no idea how you even _do _that."

"Sakura, your secret admirer is in the Akatsuki. I've known about his feelings for you for a _long _time now."

_That makes sense, _I realized. _I mean, those Akatsuki guys probably tell each other everything. _But something about Itachi's statement was bugging me.

"Exactly how long has this guy liked me?" I asked.

Itachi smirked. "A _long _time."

I wondered what Itachi considered a "long time"—but I decided not to worry about it. "So you'll help me find him?"

"Of course, Sakura…"

I smiled at Itachi. This was so perfect! Ino and I had The List, Itachi would be our source of knowledge, I would find my secret admirer _soon, _and I would have more time for Gaara—

"… on one condition, that is."

I stopped my internal celebration. "What do you mean, one condition?" I asked suspiciously.

I could've punched that smirk off his face—and I almost did, after what he said.

"You must tell Gaara about what happened between you and my Foolish Little Brother this morning—"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "If I do that, Gaara and I will be _done._" The realization hit me. "But that's what you want, isn't it? I can't believe you—how do you even know—?"

"You must tell him tomorrow," Itachi continued. "Or else."

"Or else **what?**" I asked. I was about to punch him. Freaking _Uchihas_—

"Or else you'll never find out who your secret admirer is."

* * *

**Wow. Okay, I definitely owe everyone an explanation. **

**Before I knew it, the summer was over. And I decided to take a chance with the school musical and I ended up getting a part! So that consumed all of my time, basically. **_**Romeo and Juliet **_**is the next play, and I'm just the production assistant, so I should have more time to write again! But I'm super sorry about the major delay. I'm going to try to write the next chapter tomorrow, and hopefully update again before the weekend is over. **

**Also, on a completely unrelated note… Happy New Year! **

**Please review~! I'll write faster, I promise!**

**~LMH**


	6. Chapter Six: What Happened to Normal?

**Detention with the Akatsuki**

_by LittleMissHippie_

Disclaimer: I don't own _Naruto. _

**a/n: **Dedicated to everyone that's stuck around—you know who you are. Also: read **The List Prelude! **It's crucial to the story, I promise.

* * *

He was bluffing—but what if he wasn't?

I briefly wondered if he could actually do that—_can he stop me from finding my secret admirer? Does Itachi really have _that much _power?_

The answer was obvious.

"Itachi," I started, my voice pleading. "_Please. _Don't make me tell Gaara." With Gaara, everything wasn't simple—but I was happy. And I didn't want Itachi to change that. "I'll do anything. Just… don't make me tell him."

I attempted to use my puppy dog eyes on Itachi.

His resolve noticeably flickered. "Anything?" he asked quietly. I almost didn't hear him.

I hesitantly responded, "Anything."

Then he narrowed his eyes at me. "No. Tell Gaara—"

The action contained in that command was frightening. "I can't!" I cried.

"—or I won't help you. And you'll never know who your secret admirer is." Itachi smirked, aware of the dilemma he'd given me. "What's it going to be, Sakura?"

I needed to know who my secret admirer was—I _owed _it to them.

But was I willing to risk Gaara—and the **wonderful** relationship we had? All for some guy I didn't even know… some guy in the Akatsuki?

_Is it worth it?_

"How am I supposed to trust you?" I asked slowly as I reached my decision. _Are you actually going to help me? _

A look of hurt briefly flashed over Itachi's face—but then the smirk returned. "How could you **not**?" He sounded so cocky, just like an Uchiha.

_And I thought he was different?_

"I'm serious, Itachi," I replied, frustrated with his inability to take me seriously.

Itachi was silent for a few moments before speaking up. "If you promise me you'll tell Gaara," he began. "I'll give you a hint now."

I grinned, my happiness from earlier already returning. "_Really? _Right now?"

He nodded. "But you have to promise me—tell Gaara by the end of lunch tomorrow. _Or else._"

I hesitated before letting out a sigh of defeat.

"I promise," I said adamantly. Then I grinned again. "Now… hint please?"

Itachi smirked. "Focused as usual, Sakura." Then he paused. "Your secret admirer…"

I leaned forward eagerly. "My secret admirer…?" I prompted.

"…has liked you for a very long time—" Itachi began, only to be cut off by me.

"**That's **your hint? You freaking _suck, _Itachi—"

"—and you met him awhile ago," Itachi finished. He paused in thought. "While you were dating my Foolish Little Brother, I believe. You were skipping class."

I stared at Itachi in complete disbelief—

—before I turned and ran out the door.

* * *

I didn't get far.

_What's with me and running into people? _I wondered. Sasuke interrupted my thoughts.

"Sakura, what the hell were you doing in _Itachi's _room?" Sasuke spat.

"Sasuke, what the hell were you doing _eavesdropping?_" I retorted.

Apparently Itachi had exited after me. "Be nice, children," he commanded. He turned to Sasuke. "Foolish Little Brother, Sakura was just leaving."

"Stay out of this, _Itachi._" Sasuke glared at his older brother and I had a serious sense of déjà vu. Didn't I witness an Uchiha Showdown before…? "Sakura and I have unfinished business."

Itachi chucked. "Sakura is certainly wanted by many, isn't she?" he muttered to himself. I ignored him.

"No, we do **not**,Sasuke," I replied stubbornly.

"Yes, we _do_," he replied just as stubbornly. I glared at him. He ignored me.

"Itachi," said Sasuke angrily. "Why do you always have to do this?" I had no idea what he was talking about, and obviously Itachi didn't either. "Why do you always have to get in my business with Sakura?" he clarified.

Itachi narrowed his eyes. "Sakura was here to see _me_," Itachi said—and did I detect a hint of possession in his voice?

Itachi pulled me closer to him, and wrapped his arms around me.

I was instantly reminded of the time behind the school in freshman year—where I had met that mysterious man, who had held me. He had made me realize what I wanted…

… and he'd made me realize Sasuke wasn't going to give me that.

_Could he be my secret admirer? _I wondered. _That strange person from freshman year? Could I finally find out his identity…? _

"And now she's leaving," continued Itachi and I mentally came back to the conversation at hand. I could think about that encounter during freshman year later.

"I know what you're doing," Sasuke said seriously. _What is he doing? _I wondered. "And I don't think you should—"

"Foolish Little Brother," responded Itachi. "You have _no idea_ what you're talking about." Itachi had gone from simply narrowing his eyes at Sasuke to full out glaring at him.

I started squirming in Itachi's arms.

"How can you help _him_?" Sasuke asked, his lip curled in distaste. "How can you think he's even right for her?"

_Are they talking about my secret admirer—?_

"Because I'm not you, Foolish Little Brother," answered Itachi. His calm façade had returned.

"He doesn't _deserve her_," Sasuke argued.

"And you do?" Itachi asked.

Sasuke paused, and I watched him in anticipation for his reply.

"More than he does," he finally answered. "More than any of them. And especially more than you—"

I felt Itachi's arms slacken and decided to seize my opportunity rather than worry about _what the hell _Sasuke had just said.

I slipped out of Itachi's arms and glanced backward.

"I'll see you," I called as I nearly sprinted out the door.

I didn't stop running until I was far away from the Uchiha Manor.

* * *

The next day, I made sure I got to school early.

With everything that had been going on—the new admirer, the new List, Gaara, Sasuke, and now Itachi—I'd been super preoccupied.

I tried not to worry about how I was supposed to deal with the Gaara situation. Obviously, I didn't want to tell him—but I had promised Itachi… Was I willing to break that promise?

Was I willing to risk _never _finding my secret admirer?

Now that I knew who my secret admirer could be—that odd stranger from freshman year… I needed to find him. He'd haunted my thoughts for days after our encounter. He'd made me realize that I was worth it—worth **everything. **

How could I pass up an opportunity to finally find him?

The answer was obvious: I couldn't.

Maybe I wouldn't end up dating him; maybe I would end up with someone else—Gaara, or even…

Sasuke.

_Sasuke Uchiha, my first love. _

_Sasuke Uchiha, the guy that had—for the most part—broken my heart. _

_Sasuke Uchiha, the guy I _didn't_ owe a second chance. _

Again, the answer was obvious: I couldn't. I couldn't date Sasuke—even if he had changed. Even if he promised he would change.

My secret admirer had taught me that I was better, and I deserved better.

_And better, _I decided, _is not Sasuke Uchiha._

So **of course**—with all this drama preoccupying my thoughts—I'd managed to forget my Calculus book in my locker yesterday. The night before a major Calculus test, too. _Stupid drama!_

I walked slowly to my locker, my thoughts now stuck on the Uchiha encounter I'd observed yesterday. _I know what it could mean, _I realized. _But that would only complicate everything… _

_And that's just like Itachi, complicating everything, _I thought.

I absentmindedly spun my lock as I considered possible interpretations of the conversation I'd witnessed.

_Could Itachi—?_

My thoughts were interrupted by a note falling on my face. I picked up the note before looking up into my locker—the previous location of the note—and gaping in awe.

Inside my locker was a bouquet of flowers—my favorite. I turned my gaze to the note now clutched in my hand.

"Another gift…?" I wondered aloud.

"_Seriously?_" a voice sounded from behind me. I heard a sigh. "Can I have him? **Please**?"

I almost dropped the note out of shock.

"What the—when did you even get there, Ino-pig?" I asked in disbelief. "I didn't even hear you—" I turned around and looked in every direction, wondering if maybe Ino-pig had a secret ninja shortcut or _something_.

Ino-pig ignored me. "Well? What does the note say?"

I shook my head and decided to worry about Ino-pig's ninja powers later. After opening the note, I read aloud, "You seemed down. Always remember: you're perfect. Be happy." I blinked. Something about that was so… **familiar.**

I grinned as the realization hit me.

"Ino-pig," I said happily. "He's my secret admirer!"

* * *

"_Sakura, have you finally realized he's not worth defending?"_

_There was a certain smugness to his voice, and I fought the urge to turn around. I wanted to see this stranger behind me, but at the same time… I didn't want to ruin the illusion of our conversation._

"_You're so easy to read," the voice continued. _

_I started to wish I had stayed in class. _

_Suddenly, I felt two arms wrap themselves around me. I froze as I waited for the fear to set in._

_It didn't._

_Instead, I felt a feeling of belonging—why was I comfortable in the arms of this stranger? How could this person I've never actually met make me feel better than Sasuke-kun ever did…?_

"_You're beautiful. Intelligent. _Amazing._ Don't doubt yourself, Sakura," the stranger said. _

_For once, I felt right. _

_And then he stepped away—_

"_He doesn't deserve you."_

—_and he was gone. _

* * *

Ino-pig stared at me in disbelief. "So you met this guy… in freshman year?"

I nodded.

"While you were dating Sasuke?" she asked.

I nodded again.

"And you didn't _tell me_?" she shrieked. "What kind of friend are you, Forehead? It sounds like you're freaking in love with this guy!"

I blinked at her. "In love…?" I asked in wonder. "Ino-pig, I barely know this guy. He could be a total—"

"—stud? And he likes you! Heck, he's liked you this long. Maybe he's in love with you too!" At this point, Ino-pig was flailing. "Oh my _gosh, _Forehead! This is so cool!"

I thought about what Ino-pig was saying. _Am I in love with this guy? _

I decided to post-pone that decision until I actually met him. After all, he could end up being some random guy. Who knows?

But then I smiled. I had to agree with Ino-pig on one thing—

"This _is _pretty cool."

* * *

After everything that had happened, I never expected lunch to be so… normal.

_How can everything be so normal, _I wondered, _when I'm so _confused_?_

Ino-pig and Sasuke were exchanging friendly—well, as friendly as Ino and Sasuke got—banter as Gaara chuckled at them. Once in awhile, Ino-pig would shoot me a knowing glance, as if to say, "I know you're confused, Forehead, but at least pretend everything is normal!"

Oddly enough, I could barely remember what normal was like.

_All of this secret admirer business is _seriously _messing with me, _I realized.

Gaara was shooting me concerned looks, as if he knew something was wrong. But really—he had **no **idea. And how could he know that I was troubled partially because of what I had to do?

Sasuke? Once in awhile, he would shoot me looks too. His were a lot harder to read, but I understood the bottom line. Sasuke's methods were twisted, but he did care about me. And it showed.

This situation of normalcy combined with the underlying messages in looks… I couldn't handle it.

I still had no idea how I was supposed to tell Gaara—especially with Sasuke right next to us at our lunch table.

I looked from Ino-pig to Sasuke to Gaara, slowly and surely.

_I can't do it, _I realized. I couldn't destroy this regular lunch; I couldn't destroy this perfect state—I couldn't destroy any of it.

I looked across the cafeteria and watched Itachi. _How could you put me in this situation? _I wondered.

And then the bell rang, and everything went downhill.

I turned my gaze to Gaara, just as he received a text message. Ino-pig watched his phone as he opened the text.

Then her jaw dropped.

Gaara blinked once, then turned his blank stare to me. "Sakura…" he said softly.

I risked a glance at his phone, but he'd already closed the message.

I thought of everything I could say, to possibly improve this situation—but nothing seemed right.

"Gaara," I said, my voice inaudible even to myself, "I'm sorry."

* * *

**A lot later than intended… but here it is! Chapter six. Extra long, just for you guys that have stuck around! **

**Not much else to say. I'm going to be a bit busier than previously expected: I actually have a speaking role in **_**Romeo and Juliet, **_**and apparently the production assistant does a lot of work. Oh, and I'm driving now. Life is busy, but it's fun.**

**I'd really love if all of you guys reviewed this chapter! Let me know your thoughts, who you think Sakura should end up with, etc. Your opinions mean a lot to me!**

**ONCE AGAIN: Read The List Prelude. It'll further expand on how Sakura feels about this new secret admirer—if he's the guy she met in freshman year, that is! **

**Until next time!,**

**~LMH**


	7. Chapter Seven: An Unexpected Development

**Detention with the Akatsuki **_by LittleMissHippie_

Disclaimer: I don't own _Naruto. _

**a/n: **Dedicated to everyone that's stuck around—you know who you are.

* * *

As I sat frozen in my seat, I watched Gaara silently rise and disappear from the lunchroom. I felt powerless to stop him—and why would I? I didn't deserve him. I hadn't even told him the truth: instead, I'd let the entire situation blow up in my own face.

"Forehead!" shrieked Ino-pig. "_Go get him!_" She rose from her seat while simultaneously reaching for my hand. She attempted to drag me from my seat, but I refused to move. She looked at me with a mixture of disbelief and impatience. "What are you **waiting **for?"

"Did I miss something?" asked Sasuke. "Someone needs to tell me what the hell just happened."

Ino and I both ignored him.

"Sakura, you _need _to go talk to him," urged Ino-pig.

After a moment, I shook my head. "It was for the best," I reasoned. _I feel like an awful person, and he shouldn't have found out this way, but… _"He needed to know," I continued. "It sucks it happened this way, but… it needed to happen."

Ino-pig continued to look at me in disbelief. "How can you be so okay with this?" she cried. "I thought you didn't want him to know!"

I stood up from the table, ready to head to class and forget about this entire situation. However, before I could make it far, _someone _grabbed my hand and stopped me.

"Explain what's going on," ordered Sasuke. "Or else." He attempted to glare at me, but I leveled him with a look of my own. Sasuke never could handle The Stare.

"It's not your business—" I started.

"For once, I agree with Sasu-cakes," interrupted Ino. "You need to spill. Besides, class doesn't start for another five minutes. We have time, don't we?" She smiled sweetly as she grabbed my arm and held it in a death-grip. I grimaced.

"Gaara found out about The Kiss," I started. Sasuke looked absolutely confused, but Ino-pig just looked intrigued. "It was part of my… deal. _He_ wasn't **just** going to give me hints about my new secret admirer. There was a catch—telling Gaara. But I didn't tell him in time so…" I sighed, looking miserably at the floor before raising my gaze to Ino-pig and Sasuke. "Itachi did," I finished.

Sasuke looked unbelievably angry. "He had no _right!_" he fumed. "It wasn't his business to tell. It was **mine**." I narrowed my eyes at him. "Okay. It was _our _business to tell," he corrected.

"Don't forget, Sasuke," I began, my own anger rivaling his, "This is all **your **fault. If you hadn't freaking kissed me, we wouldn't even be in this mess—"

"You can't blame me. I'm not the one who made a deal with _Itachi_—and it's not my fault you couldn't just tell Sabaku for yourself. So don't—"

"He was going to find out eventually," I said firmly, interrupting him. "So shut up." I took a deep breath, attempting to regain my composure. "It's… not up for discussion."

Sasuke looked like he wanted to continue the discussion—but he didn't. Instead, he nodded once before releasing his grip on my hand. Ino-pig released her grip as well, but not before adding her two-cents.

"I still think you should talk to him," said Ino-pig decisively. "You guys have been through too much together. He at least deserves to hear your side of things." Ino-pig paused, and her tone softened. "I just think… you guys are good for each other. But you **need **to be honest. Starting now."

I considered her advice.

_Gaara and I have been through a lot, _I thought. _But I want to keep investigating my secret admirer. And if he has a problem with that, maybe it's better if he's… not my boyfriend anymore. _

_On the other hand, I **really **like Gaara. And even if we're not dating, I want us to be on good terms. He's one of my best friends. I can't lose him._

"I'll talk to him," I finally said. "I promise."

* * *

Apparently, talking to Gaara was easier said than done.

_It's not like this is a big school, _I inwardly complained. _Where is he?_

Originally, my plan had been to flag him down as soon as last period ended. However, after it became apparent that Gaara had no intentions of _attending _last period, I ended up re-evaluating my plan. I was fairly confident in my ability to find my own boyfriend—was he still my boyfriend? _Why is my life so complicated—_or ex-boyfriend. But I was running out of places to look, and I was supposed to report to detention soon—

"What the hell, Uchiha?"

I froze in place. I recognized that voice! But why would he be confronting Sasuke and not me? I shook my head, preparing myself to interrupt their conversation—

"I don't know what the problem is, Sabaku," replied a voice that was most definitely _not _Sasuke's. "Is there something wrong?"

I knew that voice. But **why **would Gaara be angry with Itachi of all people? Unless… maybe he recognized Itachi's number from the text. Still, I should've been the person he sought for answers. _Not _Itachi. Right?

_Maybe I should just stay here for a couple minutes. Just so I can get more information before I jump to any conclusions._

"Don't play dumb. You know exactly why I'm pissed, Uchiha." For someone who was so pissed off, Gaara's voice was pretty quiet. It was almost as if he didn't want anyone to overhear their conversation… Nonetheless, his anger showed clearly through his tone—and I was pretty grateful that Itachi was the target, instead of me.

Call me a coward, but quiet Gaara was still scary—_and _intimidating.

"I'm truly sorry about Sakura, if that's what you're talking about," replied Itachi, his tone full of false sympathy. "It's a shame. But it was bound to happen eventually, don't you think?"

_He's trying to provoke Gaara, _I realized. _But why? _

Thankfully, Gaara didn't take the bait. "I'm not talking about Sakura," he replied, still speaking with that terrifyingly quiet anger. There was a slight pause before Gaara continued. "_You _planned it this way."

The accusation was apparent—but what exactly was Gaara accusing him of? It's not like Itachi was God. He couldn't really plan stuff out, and make everything happen the way he wanted it to—_right? _

_Everyone has free will, _I reminded myself. _I made my own decisions. Not anyone else. And anyway, it's not like—_

"You can't control everyone, Uchiha," Gaara continued, as if finishing my thoughts. "So _stop trying to_."

Itachi responded by laughing. "Do you realize what you're implying, Sabaku?" he asked amusedly. "You're acting as if I've manipulated everyone—you really think I have **that **much power. I suppose that's flattering."

Once again, there was a pause before anyone spoke.

"You tricked me into thinking I had a chance with her," said Gaara finally. "And I never really did. Did I?"

"Sabaku, it is not _my _fault that **you **ruined your own relationship. If I'm right—and I usually am—_you _were the one with jealousy issues. Correct?" The question was obviously rhetorical, so Itachi continued. "And you were the one who stormed out of the cafeteria today, instead of talking things over with Sakura." When he put it that way, I almost believed that it was Gaara's fault our relationship was so bad—but I knew better.

"You're telling me it was a _coincidence _that everything's happened the way it has?" Gaara asked incredulously. "_You_ just happened to convince Ino to set me up with Sakura, after she had recently dumped Sasuke—right when she needed someone to help her move on? And then _you _just happened to be the one to tell me that my own girlfriend swapped spit with her ex, ruining our relationship?" As he continued, his voice raised in volume as well as anger. "And it's just a coincidence that you're also going to help Sakura find her new secret admirer—who she'll probably end up with, now that you've succeeded in **wrecking** our relationship."

I fully expected Itachi to deny everything—there was no way he was responsible for all of that, right? He couldn't have been the one to originally convince Ino-pig into helping Gaara—and everything else… He couldn't have really—

"I simply planned it so she would be happy," admitted Itachi. "That's been my goal the entire time. I give you my word."

"I can't believe I **trusted **you," Gaara spat. "But you know what? _I'm not going down without a fight. _I give you **my **word."

I couldn't help but smile—that was so unbelievably _classic Gaara. _I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I needed to stay focused, and right now that meant stopping Gaara before he left, so I could talk to him.

I started walking towards the direction I'd heard their voices—

—only to be stopped by the person I** least** wanted to talk to right now, as per usual.

_Oh, wonderful! _I thought sarcastically. _Sasuke's here to make things unnecessarily complicated, right on schedule!_

* * *

"I'll walk you to detention," he stated simply. I couldn't help thinking about how just the day before, Gaara had been the one to walk me to detention—and at the same time, I couldn't help but miss him more than ever.

"Look, Sasuke, I really wanted to talk to—" I tried to say, only to be interrupted.

"Sakura, I'm sorry—"

Once again, Sasuke had managed to completely shock me. I gaped at him, wondering what he felt was important enough to apologize for.

"—for how I acted at lunch today. I shouldn't have tried to argue with you. I know I haven't been making your life easy lately, so it was really…" He paused, as if searching for the right word. "… inconsiderate of me to try to argue with you. So I'm sorry," he finished.

I took a deep breath before responding.

"I'm sorry too," I admitted. Sasuke looked at me questioningly, so I continued. "I mean, you _shouldn't _have kissed me… but I shouldn't have blown up at you. It's not really all your fault. It's my fault, too."

It felt good to admit that it was partially my fault. It felt vaguely therapeutic—the first step to solving my problem was admitting that I had a problem.

"I forgive you," Sasuke said, his ever-present smirk returning to his face. "After all, we were both to blame."

I smiled in return. "I forgive you too." My smile disappeared as a thought occurred to me. "But Sasuke—"

"I can't keep complicating things, I know." I looked at his face, wondering how he'd managed to read my mind. To my surprise, I saw something like… sadness? "I really love you, Sakura—"

"Sasuke—" I began, ready to stop him from making the situation worse.

"Wait, let me finish," he implored. He paused before beginning again. "I care about you. And I know I said I wouldn't give you up this time…" His voice trailed off, and I wondered where he was going with this. "I don't want to. I want a second chance with you, more than anything. But I know if I want you to be happy, I have to stop."

I stared at Sasuke, attempting to process the words he was saying.

"I think…" he began tentatively, as if unsure of himself. "It's time for me to… move on."

I could tell how much effort it had taken for him to even announce this decision, and in that moment, only one action seemed appropriate.

I grabbed Sasuke and pulled him into a hug. Not because I suddenly liked him or anything—it just seemed like the right thing to do; after all this time, he was **finally **making progress. And that in itself was something that definitely warranted a hug.

I felt Sasuke wrap his arms around me and return the hug, and I couldn't stop the huge smile that had found its way onto my face. Even after we had released each other, the smile refused to disappear.

"Sasuke," I exclaimed happily, "I'm so proud of you!"

He seemed amused by my reaction, and smirked in response. "You're starting to sound like Yamanaka."

"Don't ruin the moment, Sasuke," I chided while hitting him on the back of his arm. I didn't miss the groan that escaped him, but I didn't give it much thought.

Not even Sasuke could ruin my good mood now—because one thought was running through my mind, and that alone was enough to cheer me up for a lifetime.

_Finally, things are starting to get uncomplicated._

* * *

**Oh, hey! Remember me? I write stories. Yeah.**

**But seriously: I can't describe how sorry I am about how long it took me to update. I can blame life, I can blame my lack of motivation, or I can just be totally truthful: it was a little bit of both. HOWEVER: I'm back now. And hopefully I'll start updating a little more often. Reviews help, as always. So pleasepleaseplease remember to do that! **

**Also: notice the user change? Yeah. I like superheroes. My next project is definitely going to be Young Justice related—but The List Redux is still first priority. I promise.**

**Read and review!,**

**superheroine**


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